Headaches are a common cause of disability in both men and women, according to the online medical library Merck Manuals. Though their effects can be debilitating, headaches are only very rarely due to a serious disorder. Headaches that are not symptoms of another disease are called primary headaches, of which there are several different types.
Migraine Headache
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS, reports that 12 percent of the U.S. population have migraines. Though both men and women are subject to migraines, women get migraines more than three times more often than men. The pain of this type of headache is due to activation of nerves that line the blood vessels of the brain. Migraine attacks can last from 4 to 72 hours. The pain of migraines ranges from moderate to severe, according to Merck Manuals. The pain often throbs or pulsates, and can be felt on one or both sides of the head. Sometimes migraines are associated with nausea and vomiting. The pain of some migraines increases during physical activity, or with exposure to sound, light or smells.
Cluster Headaches
The onset of a cluster headache begins very quickly, according to the Mayo Clinic, and the pain this type of headache can be excruciating. NINDS notes that cluster headaches affect men more often than women, and smokers more often than non-smokers. The name stems from the fact that headaches often appear in "clusters" at the same of day or night, often for weeks at a time. The pain is usually on one side and around the eye, but may radiate to other regions, such as the neck, shoulders, and other areas of the head. Other associated symptoms of cluster headaches usually only affect the side of the body where the painful eye located: excessive tear production; redness; congestion of the nasal passages; decreased pupil size; droopy eyelid; and swelling of the tissue around the eye. Merck Manuals adds that the pain of cluster headaches usually gets worse when a person lies down, so people with this form of headache often pace until the pain goes away, usually 30 minutes to an hour after onset.
Tension Headache
A tension headache is the most common type of headache, according to NINDS, and affects women slightly more than men. Tension headache causes mild to moderate pain, usually on both sides of the scalp, neck, face or jaw. The pain often feels like intense pressure, as if a vice were squeezing the head. This form of headache, as its name suggests, was once thought to be caused by mental or emotional stress. The Mayo Clinic reports that the cause of tension headaches is now thought to be a change in brain chemicals, such as serotonin and endorphins. The changes in brain chemicals activate pain pathways, and even suppress the brain's ability to stop pain. Along with these changes in brain chemicals, other factors are thought to trigger tension headaches: emotional and mental stress; depression and anxiety; jaw clenching; and poor posture.
